Okay, Marian

I know, I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up with my travels. It's hard enough just DOING the travels.

Montana ended up being very pretty, but I didn't get to drive the Going to the Sun Road. I did, however, drive to Glacier National Park and check out what I could see. I bought the season pass to the park. For 25$ I could go for the day and for 35$ I could have a one year pass. Since I am going back in September, and six months from then, I decided to go for the extra 10 bucks. I'm hoping that in September I will be able to drive the Going to the Sun Road and cross the Continental Divide. I bought a book about day hikes and plan to go early in September and try some of them.

I took the week of the 4th of July off as vacation. I knew I was in trouble when I realized I had planned about 30 days worth of stuff to accomplish in seven days, but I had a good time. My sister-in-law brought Elizabeth (the dog) down to spend the week with me. If I ever have a job without this much travel I would love to have her back full time. She has calmed down significantly from her puppy days and is just a joy to have around. We walked every day. I probably wouldn't have quite the weight problem if I had her to keep me moving.

The week after the fourth I was in Greeneville, South Carolina. It's hard to get anywhere in the south without going through Atlanta, but the connections went off without a hitch. I was impressed with Greeneville. The facility was about 10 miles from the actual city, but there was a nurse on the evening shift who was insistent that I visit the revived downtown area. So I did and I am so glad she sent me there. Like so many older cities, the downtown goes down hill as the suburbs evolve. She told me the area was essentially a dump until they decided to revive it several years ago. It was beautiful. There is a river that runs over some falls which have historical significance to the area. They have built this suspension bridge over the falls. I ate at a neat restaurant overlooking the river. I have pictures but not on this computer. I will try to remember to post them when I am at home.

Subsequent to that adventure I have been driving around the Midwest. It's pretty boring travel. I did, however, find a great book at the library to listen to as I drove to Cedar Rapids, Iowa today. It's by Ralph Moody and one of the 'Little Britches' books. I remember them from my childhood. We lived in the country outside of King City and would read those books aloud in the evenings. I couldn't remember much about them, but I checked it out anyway to refresh my memory. I listened to it for the 5 1/2 hour drive today and enjoyed the story. It certainly made the drive go faster. I'm headed to Omaha tomorrow afternoon and will be able to finish it.

Don't give up on me. I may be slow, but check occassionally to see what I'm up to next.